About this title: One of the leading voices of next-generation SF and author of "Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom" returns with a miraculous novel of secrets, lies, magic, and Internet connectivity, set on the streets of modern-day Toronto.
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Description: Very Good. Great condition for a used book! Minimal wear. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Tor Books
Date Published: 2006-05-30
ISBN-13:9780765312808ISBN:0765312808
Description: Very Good. A copy that has been read, but remains in great condition. Cover shows minor signs of wear. Pages are intact and there are no notes or highlighting. Delivery confirmation on all domestic orders. Fast Shipping. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Tor Books
Date Published: 2006
ISBN-13:9780765312808ISBN:0765312808
Description: Acceptable. -Acceptable: A readable copy. All pages are intact, and the cover is intact (the dust cover may be missing). Pages can include considerable notes--in pen or highlighter--but the notes cannot obscure the text. About Austin eBooks Austin eBooks is committed to providing each customer with the highest standard of customer service! We add inventory to our store daily, and guarantee order processing and shipment within 2 business days. read more
Description: Good. Minimal damage to cover and binding. Pages show light use. With pride from Motor City. All books guaranteed. Best Service, Best Prices. read more
Binding: Trade Paperback
Publisher: St. Martin's Press, New York
Date Published: 2006
ISBN-13:9780765312808ISBN:0765312808
Description: Very Good. 315 pp. edge wear; Alan is a middle-aged entrepeneur in contemporary Toronto, who has devoted himself to fixing up a house in a bohemian neighborhood. This naturally brings him in contact with the house full of students and layabouts next door, including a young woman who, in a moment of stress, reveals to him that she has wings--wings, moreover, which grow back after each attempt to cut them off. Alan understands. He himself has a secret or two. His father is a mountain; his mother ... read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Tor Books
Date Published: 2006-05-30
ISBN-13:9780765312808ISBN:0765312808
Description: Like New. May be shiny, in some instances dust jackets are not included, no missing pages, no damage to binding, may have a remainder mark. read more
Binding: Trade Paperback
Publisher: Tor Books
Date Published: 2006
ISBN-13:9780765312808ISBN:0765312808
Description: Very Good. 0765312808. Smooth spine. Curling pages. Price on cover is $14.95. # line 0987654321.; 5.5 x 8.25 inches; From cover: "Alan is a middle-aged entrepeneur in contemporary Toronto, who has devoted himself to fixing up a house in the bohemian neighborhood of Kensington. This naturally brings him in contact with the house full of students and layabouts next door, including a young woman who, in a moment of stress, reveals to him that she has wings--wings, moreover, which grow back after ... read more
Binding: Trade Paperback
Publisher: Tor Books
Date Published: 2006
ISBN-13:9780765312808ISBN:0765312808
Description: Good in n/a jacket. Softcover. Sound, clean & nice copy, light to moderate rubbing/edgewear to wraps, soiling at top right hand corner. read more
Description: First edition in this form. Minor corner and edge wear to book. First page slightly bent Edition: 1st thus Condition: VG+ Binding: TRADE SOFTCOVER. read more
"I suppose you might call this magic realism, but its also got some sci-fi, experimental fiction, fantasy and cyberpunk flavors in the mix.
The story is about a very odd -- but certainly humanoid -- man who is the child of a mountain and a washing machine. Literally. His got some brothers too: an island, some nesting dolls and a zombie/demon.
I was skeptical, but this ended up being one of the best novels I've read lately. Doctorow is somewhat too crude sometimes, but he's got an incredibly distinct and playful style. This book explores issues of identity, the environment and postmodern existence from an extremely fresh, even weird, perspective. Lot's of delicious weirdness."
"Intriguing but ultimately unsuccessful mixture of magical realism and technopunk. Doctorow does not lack for creativity, but he does lack focus... and perhaps either a good editor or the willingness to listen to the one he has. There are numerous problems: the two strands of the story don't fit together well, the narrative jumps back and forth haphazardly (at times leaving the impression that whole sections have been inadvertently left out), the ending leaves too much unresolved (in sort of the opposite to deus ex machina, here the authorial decisions which would complete the story arcs are absent), the characters are insufficiently justified (and so appear at time to act almost randomly)... and so on.
If, as a blurb from the Toronto Globe on the back claims, this is Doctorow's best work yet, then I wouldn't bother reading anything else he has written so far. He has promise, but at least with this book it remains unfulfilled."
"The first magical realism I've liked. The beginning of the story is nice and interesting. Inside, quite a ways in, is a much stranger story, which gradually goes horror-movie. Additionally, there are a few other people's stories, all woven in, and a story written by the main character. They all work together, but I wished for BLOCKQUOTE tags and different colors so I could tell the different stories (interspersed paragraph-by-paragraph a few times) apart.
I actually told Julia part of the story over dinner last night. She was fascinated, but alas a) she won't be ready to actually read it (content, not language) for years, and I don't think I'll ever be ready to suggest it to her...
Annoyance: The end drops and silently ignores the dynamic tension and serious problem that drives the latter more-than-half of the book. Too much Disney in Doctorow's youth, perhaps?"
"The main character's dad is a mountain and his mom's a washing machine. I thought maybe I'd understand by the time I finished the book. Alas, no. I created all the metaphors I could in an attempt to understand this book. But I'd much rather read a book with a plausible plot line and characters instead of putting so much energy trying to figure out what could he have meant when he wrote... and what could this be symbolizing.
I didn't like the violence. I didn't like the main character's willingness to pal around with everyone. I didn't like his not realizing that it's best to stay away from some people. I didn't like that the brothers' names kept changing. I didn't like the fact that not one of the major issues in the book was resolved.
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